President Obama will expand the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan in 2015, a major shift from his previous statements.The president's order means U.S. forces will be targeting the Taliban and other militant groups for at least another year, sources told the New York Times. U.S. air power will also be used in support of Afghan troops during combat missions. That will include F-16 fighters, B-1 bombers and drones, a military official told the Times.
Obama's shift was spurred by two factors. The first was a request from Afghanistan's new president, Ashraf Ghani, for U.S. troops to continue fighting the Taliban in 2015. Ghani's request was a departure from his predecessor, Hamid Karzai.
"President Ghani has reached out and embraced the international community," Gen. John Campbell, the allied commander in Afghanistan, told the Times. "We have a strategic opportunity we haven't had previously with President Karzai."
The second was the stunning collapse of the Iraqi military due to the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. U.S. officials fear a premature departure from Afghanistan may leave security forces ill-prepared to fight the Taliban and other militant groups.
Obama's timeline for ending the war before he leaves office reportedly remains in place.